Friday, February 24, 2012

Jet of the Day 2/24/12 - Willow Creek Jewelry

Lately, I’ve really become interested in metal, especially copper and everything that can be done with it. I love to manipulate it, fold it, hammer it and poke holes in it. But, I particularly like to take a torch to it. Copper is a warm metal that can achieve gorgeous patinas and it’s also affordable; if you mess something up, it doesn't hit the wallet too bad.

Copper, like other metals, will harden when worked which leads to difficulty in manipulation. This is where the annealing process comes in handy. Annealing results in malleability and reduces the internal stress on the metal, allowing you to move and bend your piece without it becoming brittle.

• Place your metal on a fire safe work surface, such as a fire brick. Using your torch, heat your metal slowly and evenly; move the flame over the metal in an even fashion. Heat the metal until the entire piece reaches a cherry red color. The cherry red color indicates that the metal has reached the proper annealing temperature. You can also watch the color or your flame as it will turn an orange-red at the same time the copper becomes cherry red. You may find it helpful to dim the lights in order to see the metal
change color.

• After the metal reaches the correct temperature, remove the flame and turn off the torch. Using metal pliers or tongs, quench the metal in water. You can also quench directly into a pickle bath; always use caution when using a pickle bath as not to splash any chemical. If using a pickle bath, use only copper tongs as other metals will contaminate your pickle. The pickle cleans off the fire scale; however, some people prefer this rustic look and choose to leave it or maybe sand back a small portion. After a pickle bath you can also go back with your torch and create some beautiful flame patinas.

• Now you’re ready for the fun part. At this point you can fold, hammer, pinch and contort. After folding, use a dull straight edge to open your metal up (I use an oyster shucking knife) When the metal becomes hard again, you simply repeat the annealing process and continue with your creativity.